Course summary

More of the world's extreme poor now live in middle-income than in low-income countries, and processes such as climate change, transnational migration and globalisation demand a global consideration of the state of the planet. Reflecting these trends, concepts of 'development' have evolved away from an understanding of something that takes place in the 'Third World' or 'Global South'. Contemporary global challenges demand the linking of environmental issues to conventional foci of development (like health, urbanisation, poverty, food security and migration). They also demand an understanding of how the world's resources (such as water, energy, land, minerals, demography) are allocated and managed, and how contestations over these distributions play out. This programme is aimed at talented graduates seeking to develop or enhance their expertise in the fields of development and environment. You will develop the capacity to critically analyse the large-scale drivers of environmental consumption and stewardship, and how these interlink with and produce developmental outcomes. You will explore the relationship between international, environmental and developmental concerns and current socio-political events, from the COVID-19 pandemic to political and military tensions in Eastern Europe, or refugee crises in North Africa. You will gain a perspective that is at once global and interdisciplinary while also paying attention to locality (place) and people's agency in forging a just and sustainable future. The School of Geographical Sciences is ranked first in the UK for 'Geography and environmental studies' research (THE analysis of REF 2021) and has an outstanding reputation for teaching and learning. It builds upon Bristol's existing research strengths in these fields, with links to the University's Cabot Institute, Perivoli Africa Research Centre, Elizabeth Blackwell Institute, Jean Golding Institute, and Bristol Poverty Institute.